IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aea/aejmic/v16y2024i3p284-320.html

Monopolization with Must-Haves

Author

Listed:
  • Enrique Ide
  • Juan-Pablo Montero

Abstract

An increasing number of monopolization cases have been constructed around the notion of "must-have" items: products that distributors must carry to "compete effectively." Motivated by these cases, we consider a multiproduct setting where upstream suppliers sell their products through competing distributors offering one-stop-shopping convenience to consumers. We show the emergence of products that distributors cannot afford not to carry if their rivals do. A supplier of such products can exploit this must-have property, along with tying and exclusivity provisions, to monopolize adjacent, otherwise-competitive markets. Policy interventions that ban tying or exclusivity provisions may prove ineffective or even backfire.

Suggested Citation

  • Enrique Ide & Juan-Pablo Montero, 2024. "Monopolization with Must-Haves," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 284-320, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmic:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:284-320
    DOI: 10.1257/mic.20230018
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/mic.20230018
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/E193168V1
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/mic.20230018.appx
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/mic.20230018.ds
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to AEA members and institutional subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1257/mic.20230018?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Carter, 2001. "Foundations of Mathematical Economics," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262531925, December.
    2. Michael Carter, 2001. "Foundations of Mathematical Economics," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262032899, December.
    3. Greenlee, Patrick & Reitman, David & Sibley, David S., 2008. "An antitrust analysis of bundled loyalty discounts," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 1132-1152, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohajan, Devajit & Mohajan, Haradhan, 2023. "Economic Situations of Lagrange Multiplier When Costs of Various Inputs Increase for Nonlinear Budget Constraint," MPRA Paper 116879, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 12 Feb 2023.
    2. Graevenitz, Georg von, 2004. "Spillovers Reconsidered: Analysing Economic Welfare under complementarities in R&D," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 29, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
    3. Wakai, Katsutoshi, 2011. "Modeling nonmonotone preferences: The case of utility smoothing," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 213-226, March.
    4. Lukáš Lafférs, 2019. "Bounding average treatment effects using linear programming," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 727-767, September.
    5. Chakrabarti, Anindya S. & Ghosh, Diptesh, 2016. "Improving Server Utilization in a Distributed Computing Set-up with Independent Clients," IIMA Working Papers WP2016-05-02, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    6. Jeremy T. Fox & Amit Gandhi, 2009. "Identifying Heterogeneity in Economic Choice Models," NBER Working Papers 15147, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Johannes Münster, 2009. "Group contest success functions," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 41(2), pages 345-357, November.
    8. Michl Aleš, 2019. "Ten Years Later: Lessons for DSGE Builders and Czech Policy Makers," Review of Economic Perspectives, Sciendo, vol. 19(3), pages 159-174, September.
    9. Mohajan, Haradhan, 2022. "Cost minimization analysis of a running firm with economic policy," MPRA Paper 114951, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 May 2022.
    10. Lappi, Pauli, 2020. "A model of optimal extraction and site reclamation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    11. Mohajan, Devajit & Mohajan, Haradhan, 2023. "Various Problems Arise in Industrial Economics If Wage Rate Increases: A Study for Nonlinear Budget Constraint," MPRA Paper 117553, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 Apr 2023.
    12. Xavier D’Haultfœuille & Isis Durrmeyer & Philippe Février, 2019. "Automobile Prices in Market Equilibrium with Unobserved Price Discrimination," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(5), pages 1973-1998.
    13. Mohajan, Devajit, 2023. "Mathematical Analysis of an Industry When Cost of Principal Raw Materials Increase: A Nonlinear Budget Constraint Attempt," MPRA Paper 118933, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Mohajan, Devajit & Mohajan, Haradhan, 2023. "A Study on Nonlinear Budget Constraint of a Local Industrial Firm of Bangladesh: A Profit Maximization Investigation," MPRA Paper 117324, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 27 Mar 2023.
    15. Funke, S.W. & Farrell, P.E. & Piggott, M.D., 2014. "Tidal turbine array optimisation using the adjoint approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 658-673.
    16. Mohajan, Devajit & Mohajan, Haradhan, 2022. "Utility maximization analysis of an emerging firm: a bordered Hessian approach," MPRA Paper 115838, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 25 Sep 2022.
    17. Mohajan, Devajit & Mohajan, Haradhan, 2023. "Sensitivity Analysis of Inputs of an Organization: A Profit Maximization Exploration," MPRA Paper 117121, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 12 Mar 2023.
    18. Münster, Johannes, 2008. "Group contest success functions [Group Contest Success Functions]," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Market Processes and Governance SP II 2008-20, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    19. Laurent Davezies & Xavier D'Haultf{oe}uille & Louise Laage, 2021. "Identification and Estimation of Average Causal Effects in Fixed Effects Logit Models," Papers 2105.00879, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2024.
    20. Mohajan, Devajit & Mohajan, Haradhan, 2023. "An Economical Study When Cost of Irregular Raw Materials of an Industry Increases for Nonlinear Budget Constraint," MPRA Paper 118176, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 May 2023.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aea:aejmic:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:284-320. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Michael P. Albert (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aeaaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.